Israel, Hezbollah ignore appeals

World leaders call for restraint but do not call for cease-fire.

World leaders call for restraint but do not call for cease-fire.

July 17, 2006|DION NISSENBAUM and JOHN WALCOTT McClatchy Newspapers

HAIFA, Israel -- The conflict between Israel and Islamic militants continued to escalate Sunday and early today as Israel unleashed a broad assault on Lebanon hours after Hezbollah missiles hit Haifa, Israel's third-largest city, killing eight civilians. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert warned of "far reaching ramifications" in the battle, and Hezbollah's leader, Sheik Hassan Nasrallah, threatened in a televised address to unleash more "surprises" as both sides ignored increasing international appeals for restraint. World leaders Sunday took their first concrete action to defuse the crisis when the leaders of the eight leading industrialized nations, including President Bush, issued a unanimous statement calling on both sides to take steps to end the conflict. But the statement stopped short of calling for a cease-fire, and it seemed unlikely to do much to prevent the conflict from expanding. By using two more sophisticated weapons, an anti-ship missile and longer-range ballistic missiles, both from Iran, Hezbollah may be leaving the Israelis three options, or a mix of them:

Continue trying to pressure the Lebanese government to disarm Hezbollah. In a briefing for reporters, a senior Israeli military official said the goal of the military campaign was to force the fragile, year-old government in Beirut to step in and meet United Nations requirements that it disarm Hezbollah and other militant groups. The Lebanese government, however, is no match for the militants, either militarily or politically, and continued Israeli military action runs the risk of weakening it further.

Force Hezbollah to move away from Israel's border. The Israeli military official estimated Sunday that Hezbollah has more than 11,000 Katyusha rockets and a few hundred long-range missiles obtained from Syria and Iran, some of which could fly as far as 40 miles. Israelis, however, have no appetite for another guerrilla war in Lebanon, and Defense Minister Amir Peretz said Sunday that the military would rely on continued airstrikes and not turn to major ground forces in the campaign against Hezbollah.

Turn up the pressure on Syria and Iran. Continuing to pound Lebanon's airports, ports and roads hurts Syria's vulnerable economy, but attacking targets in Syria itself, would be a major escalation of the conflict. That could provoke more terrorist attacks, destabilize moderate Arab regimes and send world oil prices even higher, to $100 a barrel or more by some estimates. Although Israel has criticized Syria and Iran for supporting Hezbollah, it so far has refrained from attacking either country. But Miri Eisen, an Israeli government official, refused to rule out targeting the two countries if the conflict continues to worsen. One party that might have both the ability and the motive to hit the brakes, oddly enough, is Iran, on which Hezbollah depends for money, weapons, training and Islamic guidance. Iran has reined in Hezbollah before, and doing so now would underscore the Islamic Republic's importance in the region, undercut the Bush administration's efforts to isolate it and perhaps upset the wobbly international coalition that's demanding a halt to its nuclear program.